Article 1: The Digital Divide

Nagel, D. (2008). Digital divide? What digital divide?. The Journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2008/06/23/Digital-Divide-What-Digital-Divide.aspx?Page=1

Article Summary:
This article describes a study of teenage students in the midwest that are from low income families, making less than $25,000/yr. The study shows that regardless of their family income, these students have access to computers and the internet. 94% of these students use the Internet, with 82% of them using it at home. More than three-fourths of these kids have a desktop computer at home and a third have a laptop. Many of these students are on a social networking site, mostly myspace, but some on facebook. The kids reported that they use these sites for social networking, but also recognize that using these sites help build 21st century skills such as creativity, communication skills and being open to diversity.
The author was encouraged by these data because the students are using technology more than she thought. This allows teachers to foster these skills and extend the learning opportunities beyond just social networking.


My Thoughts:
The statistics in this article are encouraging to me. When I have shared ideas with coworkers about assigning homework on a computer or on the Internet, I have met resistance because my coworkers assume that not all my students will have access at home. In our district, we have over 30% of our students qualifying for free and reduced lunch. However, when I have taken a poll of my students, typically there is only 1 or 2 in a class of 30 that do not have Internet access at home. We offer after school tutoring and the public library offers free Internet, so even students that don't have home access, have access somewhere. I will continue to create assignments using technology because I do believe that these 21st century skills are important for our students to learn. Developing technology skills is not only important in high school, but important for college and beyond.
The article says that 77% of the students are on at least one social networking site like myspace or Facebook. I think that it is our responsibility as educators to teach these students proper etiquette of using these sites. We should incorporate lessons that increase awareness of cyber bullying and other such topics that will create trouble for our students. We can teach our students that social networking can be a skill that they use in education.
Overall, I'm encouraged by the statistics in this article because it backs up what I'm seeing in my classroom. I will continue to use technology in and out of the classroom.